Page 50 of Uncharted

“That’s Mother Nature for you,” I shrugged. “It sucks, but that’s how it goes.”

“I keep forgettin’ ya can be kinda cold about stuff like that,” he said bluntly.

“If you constantly get attached to wild animals, you’re going to end up constantly heartbroken,” I told him. “They were sweet, but somewhere along the line, the ones that died will help something else. Maybe fish will eat them, or some other scavenger. And whatever is left will help bugs and bacteria, and even feed nutrients into the earth to help things grow, that will turn around and be eaten by other cute animals like beavers and deer, that will then get eaten or killed…you know.”

“Circle of life,” he chuckled. “Ya know I didn’t mean nothin’ by sayin’ ya can be kinda cold, right? I get it. You’re not cold, though.”

I smiled, watching him scoot around a fallen log rather than climb over it. “I know, Jake. I don’t think there’s anything like that you could say that would bother me.”

“When I get better, I wanna see the family, or what’s left of ’em I guess,” he said a little sadly.

Oh, Jake and his big, warm heart. “Good, but let’s get you resting properly first.”

“Fine,” he grumbled, petulant and muttering all over again.

And God help us all, it was kind of cute.

When we reached the clinic, I let him shuffle in first, and I followed, flipping on the light. It comprised three rooms. The main room where Colin did his exams. There was also a storage room which, according to Colin, could also serve as a bedroom since there was a folding bed in there. And a bathroom. The only new thing was the bed pushed into the corner, near the window at Jake’s request, so he could rest and still see outside.

I looked around and saw a small box with a few supplies. Looking it over, I saw it was the things I’d need to get Jake cleaned up. I sighed. “Had to wear shorts, didn’t you?”

“It’s hot out,” he complained as he sat on the edge of the bed. “I didn’t want to sweat the whole time I was out there.”

“Well, you’re splattered with mud,” I said, and taking a quiet breath, I steadied myself for the next question. “When was the last time you took a shower?”

“Uh—”

“Oh, God.”

“Now hold on!”

“Jake, you’re going to have to get in the shower. Now let me find something to protect your head and your arm.”

There was thankfully a box of what looked like plastic wrap that could be wrapped around Jake’s arm, and I smirked as I held up the other item in the bag. “Never thought you’d have to wear one of these, huh?”

“It’s just a shower cap,” Jake grumbled.

“And it’s so…dainty,” I said, eyeing the floral pattern with hummingbirds printed on it.

“Maybe I wanna feel a lil dainty…for once,” he said as he grabbed his shirt and began to pull it above his head. Of course, with only one arm, the other in a cast, he wasn’t doing much more than flailing around. I’d known from the moment Colin had left me in charge of taking care of Jake that I was going to have to face that, so I shoved the chaotic unease in my head away and approached him.

“Quit,” I told him. “I can do it.”

“I know,” he said softly. “And I know I was givin’ ya shit earlier, but I wasn’t…I don’t want ya to do somethin’ that’s gonna, ya know, make ya uncomfortable.”

“I’ve been around you naked plenty of times,” I reminded him as I got his shirt off, first his good arm, then over his head and carefully pulling it over his cast and throwing it in the basket Colin had probably brought from somewhere else. “Not everything has to be sexual.”

“So, you’re not feelin’ anythin’ right now?” he asked, and I couldn’t figure out if he wanted me to feel something, or if he was disappointed at the idea.

“I’m feeling like you want to say something, but you’re trying to spare my feelings,” I told him as I squatted down to pull off his shoes. They were covered in mud as well, and while I was glad my nose wasn’t about to be up close and personal with his work boots, he had ruined his only pair of shoes. “So either say it or quit avoiding it and talk about something else.”

Next came the socks, and he sighed. “Yeah, I guess. I just know this is…a lot for ya, is all.”

Okay, so he was definitely going to talk about that. Doing it while I was undressing him in a completely normal and practical way was a choice, but boy, it was the perfect Jake choice?

“I guess,” I said as I tugged at his pants that he’d already undone. “And jeans, really?”

“Sleep pants are for sleeping,” he told me with a frown, as if that should have been obvious.